Dissidia High
by Gale Walker
Summary: AU: August 8, 2018; Hope Estheim, the newest student at Dissidia High, learns just how hard it is to juggle school, friendships, and the tumultuous struggles of the music scene.
1. Love It If We Made It

**Dissidia High**

Hey, everyone. After a deleted account, a five-year hiatus, and lots of time spent playing video games, I decided to get back into the world of fan fiction.

Dissidia High is the lovechild of two of my favorite things: the DIY music scene, and Final Fantasy. Inspired by inside jokes, my own friendships, and plenty of caffeine, Dissidia High is going to explore a lot of different characters throughout the Final Fantasy franchise.

Oh, and it's going to be gay. You've been warned.

**Chapter 1: Love It If We Made It**

_WANTED - Band member. Synth experience required. Please know how to actually play and please don't waste our time. Auditions are this Saturday at 208 Midgar Road. See you there._

Didling the flyer in his hands, the silver-haired boy looked back up in confusion.

"A pizza shop?" he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "That can't be right." After reading over the flyer once more, he decided to finally go in and check it out.

Pushing the door open, he was greeted with the soft chime of a copper bell and a little voice carrying across the counter.

"Welcome to Strife Pizza," he heard, a dark-haired girl appearing from the back room. "What can we get started for ya?"

The boy looked around at the empty room and chuckled nervously. "I was here to audition for a band, but I guess I have the wrong address? I'm sorry to bother you."

The girl perked up and beamed a huge smile. "Nope, you're at the right place! They're in the storage space behind the kitchen. You can head back there."

The teenager thanked her and walked back, maneuvering his keyboard case around the kitchen until he heard the sound of instruments. He waited for the music to stop and then knocked on the door. "Finally, someone's here," he heard through the door. "Come in!"

He walked in and immediately felt suffocated. The room was extremely small, the walls lined with product from the pizza place. The girl leaning against the far wall shuffled her feet and leaned in close to the boy, looking at him intently before cracking a huge smile. "Oh, you are just precious!" she laughed, grabbing his cheeks. His face got beet red and looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Stop embarrassing him, Serah," an older-looking guy said, his face partially covered in a red cloak. "This is why we can't find a band member. You scare them all away."

The girl, Serah, pouted and turned on her heels. "Oh, hush, Vincent. Not everyone just sulks in the corner like you do!" She turned back around, a smile back on her face. "My name's Serah. Nice to meet you!"

"Hope," the boy said, extending his hand sheepishly. "Hope Estheim."

They shook hands and he turned to the older guy, extending his hand out once again only to be met with a shrugging of shoulders. "Vincent," he said calmly, without emotion. "Can we get this show on the road?"

Hope brought his hand back slowly, looking back at Serah. "Don't mind him, I promise it's not personal." They heard a pffft sound escape his lips right before the door swung open in a crash.

"Seraaahhhh," a chipper voice called from behind a giant stack of boxes. "Give me a hand, would ya?" Serah grabbed some of the boxes from the boy and they put them on the shelf to the side. He brushed off his short and turned, laying eyes on Hope and cocking his head sideways. "Oh? Who do we have here?

"Tidus, this is Hope," Serah chimed. "Hope, Tidus."

They grabbed hands and shook, Tidus immediately and excitedly ranting about having a prospective new member. Hope could tell he was exhausting to be around but appreciated the light heartedness.

"I'm not sure where Fang is. I thought she was right behin- ah, nvm, there she comes now." An extremely tall, dark-haired girl came in. "Fang! Check it out. Someone showed up!"

The girl, Fang, walked up to Hope, a little smirk over her face. "Fresh meat, eh? Well, let's hope he can keep up, then. The name's Fang."

Her accent took him back for a second; he wasn't expecting such a heavy Australian voice to come from the girl. They made their introductions and everyone chatted briefly while Hope set up his synth in the glorified closet.

"So, kid," Vincent said cooly, "can you play?" Hope furrowed his brows; he wasn't liking Vincent very much.

"As a matter of fact, I can. How about you?" Vincent scoffed.

"Oh, he can. Trust me. He's better than good," Tidus said, tapping his sticks against his legs.

"Well, let's hear ya then," Fang called out. "Play something and we'll fall in."

Hope went to speak but decided not to. He lightly tapped his middle C repeatedly, looking down at the floor. "See," Vincent spoke. "The kid's just wasting our time-"

Vincent's voice was drowned out by a flurry of keys. Hope's fingers danced across his synth, Serah eyes widened in excitement, looking between Tidus and Vincent for validation. Fang's eyebrows lifted, nodding at Vincent to join in. Reluctantly, he did just that, doubling-down on Fang's duty as the rhythm section. Tidus began swelling a cymbal roll before crashing, Serah joining in with vocals.

After the song died down, Hope looked back up, smiling into Vincent's blank stare.

"Fireflies!" Serah shouted. "What a fun choice!" Serah and Tidus began rambling again, shouting how much they loved it. Hope and Vincent continued their stare-off.

"So. Was that good enough for you?" Hope chirped cockily.

Vincent walked out of the room.


	2. Run Away With Me

**Chapter 2: Run Away With Me**

"Heeeeeeyyyyyyyyy! Hope! Over here!"

Carrying his lunch tray, Hope turned around and scanned the lunchroom for the voice calling his name out before spotting a bundle of blonde, hanging spikes jumping frantically on a table across the room.

"I didn't know you came here!" Tidus bellowed as Hope made his way towards him. "How have I never seen you before?"

"Today is actually my first day. I'm new to town."

Within a few minutes, they were joined by Serah, Fang, and an extremely tall guy named Snow. Snow, Serah's boyfriend, was almost as obnoxious as Tidus, but in a way that was almost endearing.

"So, what brings you to Dissidia?" Serah chimed, speaking over the boys' energetic conversation about a video game.

"Well, uh, my dad. He moves around a lot for work and I came here to live with him." Hope moved in his seat uncomfortably. "So yeah, here I am."

Before they could press further, the bell rang for them to go to their next class.

"Oh hey!" Serah exclaimed before they left the room. "Practice after school. Strife Pizza. Don't be late."

Hope cocked his head. "So does that mean I'm in?"

Tidus chuckled loudly and ruffled Hope's hair. "Was never even a question. We just had to pressure Vincent a little bit, is all. He's not too warm to newcomers - or anyone really!"

"We promise he doesn't hate you," Serah quickly added. "That's just how he is. He's really a softy butpleasedonttellhimisaidthat."

Hope grinned. "Well, I'll see y'all later then!"

"So, first order of business," Serah said, banging a gavel against Fang's bass case. "We need to finally decide on a name for this band."

"Uh, Serah, where did you get-"

"SILENCE!" _bang bang bang _"Anyways, let's brainstorm."

Hope raised his hand. "Wait, do you guys really not have a band name?"

Vincent scoffed. "Didn't think to ask before?"

"Well, it wasn't anywhere on the ad so I didn't think about it. I don't even know what genre you are."

Fang and Serah gave each other a look. Clearly, this was a previous topic of discussion.

"I guess you could call us synth pop. Especially," Fang gestured to Hope, " now that we finally have a synth."

Tidus chimed in, pausing his leg-drumming. "What about The Aurochs?"

"We said no to that a thousand times, dude. We're not naming our band after a sport's team."

He shrugged and went back to drumming.

Fang and Serah started going back and forth, with Vincent shooting ideas down every so often. Hope, not wanting to intrude, stayed mostly silent. After a particularly long pause, they all turned to Tidus, whose stomach was growling so loud it almost made his snare drum rattle.

"Let's take a lunch break," Serah decided, banging her gavel yet again.

"So how are you liking Dissidia High, Hope?" Tidus asked, shoving half a slice of pizza in his mouth.

"It's okay. It's definitely a weird place. I'm not used to being at a school that large."

"Yeah," Fang mused. " It's the only school in the city, so they've got people of all flavors there."

"What about your parents? Are they enjoying the city?"

Hope shrugged. "I only live with my dad, and we don't really talk much. I have no clue."

They all sensed the tension in his voice and gave each other quick glances.

"Well," Serah said, "here's to new friendships!" She lifted her pizza and they all met in the middle with their slices. "You too, Vincent!" The pale teen tssk'd and lifted his slice, begrudgingly so.

A loud fanfare suddenly erupted from there table. Serah lifted her phone up to ear. "Hey Snow! Yeah, uh huh. Yeah, we're just taking a break right now. Okay. You're with NORA-"

Hope's ears perked up. He stared blankly until the conversation ended.

"Who's Nora?" Hope whispered, looking down at Serah's plate.

She smiled. "Not who. What! NORA is what Snow's friends call themselves. It stands for No-"

Tidus cleared his throat, putting on an obviously exaggerated Snow impression. "No Obligations, Rules, or Authority." Everyone chuckled heartily around the table. Roasting Snow seems to be a common thing for them to do.

"YO WAIT!" Tidus jumped up. "NORA!" He turned to Serah excitedly. "What about NORA for our band's name?!"

Everyone looked at each other, lifted their pizzas, and tapped them together in silent agreement.

NORA it was.


	3. Vowels (and the Importance of Being Me)

**Chapter 3: Vowels (and the Importance of Being Me)**

"What if we, you know, FINALLY played a show soon?"

Tidus was twirling a rubber band around his fingers, a nervous habit he apparently developed whenever he couldn't drum on something. The lunch room was starting to fill up with students; Fang and Vincent were sitting on top of the table, lost in what seemed to be a very intense, silent staring contest.

"Have you guys never played a show before?" Hope said, gifted immediately with a glare from Vincent.

"Fuck off, runt."

"No, I don't mean that in a condescending way. I just thought y'all were good enough to play before."

Serah smiled. "Thank you, Hope. Actually, it was Vincent's idea to hold off making our debut until we finally had a solid lineup. Which took us a while thanks to his, uh, selective personality."

"Is that code for 'he's a big old bitch?" Tidus quipped, causing the table to chuckle loudly.

The lunch bell rang, and the gang said their goodbyes before parting ways to their next classes. Hope, nearing his classroom, realized he left his notebook on the table back in the cafeteria. "Shit," he said loudly, turning around and sprinting back. Sharply turning the corner, he collided with another person, both of them tumbling loudly onto the floor.

The girl, wearing a green military uniform, picked herself up quickly, reaching her hand out towards Hope. He grabbed on and was pulled up, the girl's pink hair dangling over their arms.

"You okay, kid?" she asked, a deep seriousness in her voice.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Hope stared at her hair, and she took notice.

"What?" She stared back at him with fire in her eyes. But behind that fire, Hope recognized them.

"Do you know Serah? By any chance?"

The girl's face softened up immediately. "Yeah, that's my sister. Was our hair the giveaway?"

_Well it sure isn't your personalities_, Hope thought to himself. "Yeah, not a common shade, you know? My name is Hope, I'm the new synthist in Serah's band."

She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Ah, I see. Well, I wasn't sure she was still doing that. Whatever, I guess. I have to get to class." She turned and began walking away before stopping again. "The name's Lightning," she called back before continuing back down the hallway.

Hope was late for class that day.

* * *

This was a little short chapter just because I wanted an excuse to introduce Lightning into the story. I was going to do it later, but I got excited. Also, I BOUGHT A LAPTOP! So now I will be writing more consistently and hopefully putting out at least one chapter a week. Any Final Fantasy character in particular you'd like me to write in soon?! Let me know and I'll see what I can do.


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